


In the end it didn't matter

by Fireflower_HS



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Multi, Slow Burn, damerey is endgame, inconsistent posting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-14 16:56:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireflower_HS/pseuds/Fireflower_HS
Summary: A story set in an alternate universe where a virus has turned most of the human population into shapes, dark creatures that will stop at nothing to kill you. 15 years after the initial apocalypse the First Order rules most of America but a small gang of Rebels that call themselves the Resistance try to stop the Order from taking over all of America. Rey is a fighter in the Resistance and tries to survive the cruelty of the life she has to live while trying to save others from the fate she had to endure.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So...... I guess this story has everything... major character death, rape/non-con and hopefully some consensual smut left in there too.  
> This is the only warning I'm going to give so if you aren't ok with any of the above please leave now.
> 
> You're still here? Thats nice.  
> This isn't a fluffy story (although there might be some at some point...)  
> Poe Dameron is a jerk to begin with.  
> Don't say I didn't warn you...
> 
> Buckle up kids, we're going for a ride...

Rey hated these missions. She was getting tired of roaming the dark and thick woods just searching for someone who obviously doesn’t want to be found.  
She still didn’t think that Luke Skywalker had survived the start of the apocalypse and if he had, the first order must have found him by now.  
It was in these moments that Rey questioned her decision to join the resistance.  
But then she has to remind herself that without the resistance she would be a shape by now.

She glanced up at the sky to check the time. She guessed it must be past 5 pm seen as the sun went down early this time of year. She should get back.  
The dark was dangerous. Shapes and Shadows move faster at night.

The cold was getting to her now. The resistance issued jackets were good for a quick getaway but they didn’t do much against the chill of early November in Colorado. Rey took her backpack off her shoulders and opened it to pull out a spray can. She marked the nearest tree with the date and a small symbol of the resistance. She did this every time before she headed back to base.  
Just incase there was someone else still out there trying to survive reality.

She put the spray can back into her backpack and turned back in the direction she had come from taking care to be as quiet as possible. Shapes could hear most things from a mile away.  
Suddenly something snapped to the right of her somewhere in the bushes. Rey immediately drew her gun and got ready to run. She slowly moved so she could see what was behind the bushes trying to make as little sound as possible. Rey couldn’t see anything but kept her gun pointed steadily in the direction the noise had come from anyway.  
There was a flash of movement behind the bush furthest away from her but she still couldn’t make out what it was. Rey stepped closer and glanced over the top. 

A little girl no older than 8 was crouching behind the bush. Rey breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn’t want to have to outrun the first order or a pack of shapes. The little girl had dark skin and big brown eyes. She looked innocent and afraid. Rey realized that she was still pointing the gun at her and lowered it immediately. Not thinking about the fact that it could be a trap. Poe fucking Dameron would scold her for that at the debrief.

Rey made her best effort to smile and kneeled down next to the girl.

“Hey there.”

Rey said moving a little closer. And showing the girl her hands trying to reassure her.  
When the girl shuffled away anyway Rey tried again 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Rey smiled again trying to make it seem more genuine this time. 

“I’m Rey. I’m with the Resistance.”

The girl suddenly didn’t look as afraid. She moved out of her cowering position to sit up next to Rey. Something close to hope in her eyes.

“Whats your name?”

Rey asked trying to find out as much as possible about this girl. She mirrored Reys crouching position and said in a very shy quiet voice that could have been a whisper 

“I’m Faith.” 

Rey extended her hand for Faith to shake it 

“That’s a very pretty name. Its nice to meet you Faith.” 

The girl gave a small smile and shook Reys hand. Rey stood up and pulled Faith with her. 

“So how did you get this far into the woods?”

Faith looked up at Rey and after a moments hesitation she pushed up the sleeve of her jacket to reveal a number tattoed into her forearm. Rey immediately recognized it. Finn had a very similar one. Rey just nodded, took the girls hand and started leading her back towards the resistance base. 

“I’m going to take you home with me ok?” 

Rey didn’t usually refer to the base as home but she wanted to give the girl a sense of safety. Even if it was mostly false.  
Faith didn’t say anything and just followed her through the woods. The journey back would take about an hour going at the slow rate they were currently moving at. It would be dark by then Rey thought. 

She moved through the woods holding faiths hand for the next half an hour in silence until faith suddenly stopped. Rey turned around and glanced at her 

“Is everything ok?” 

Rey asked concern heavy in her voice. Rey noticed that Faith wasn’t looking at her but past her.  
She met Faiths eyes and the realization set in even before she heard the first screech.  
The battle cry of a shape. 

Rey let go of Faiths hand and readied her gun.  
With her free hand she pointed in the direction of base and looked Faith in the eye.

“Run.”

Rey said before turning in the direction of the screech.

Rey could hear her heartbeat rise. She was old in comparison to the girl. Faith still had a life to live and Rey would do anything to let her live it as long as possible. She waited for the next screech but it didn’t come. Rey had wanted the shapes to see her and then she could drag them away from Faith but they were taking to long. 

She was about to pack her gun away when suddenly there was another screech.  
But not from where the shapes had been earlier.

There was a high pitched scream and Rey ran as fast as she could.  
She couldn’t think about what she would do. Her mind was fixed on Faith and how to save her.  
Rey burst through some shrubs into a clearing and looked around frantically trying to find Faith. Rey spotted her, pressed against a tree trunk her hands folded in prayer to a god rey was certain didn’t exist.

She started to move towards the girl but stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted the dark figures moving in behind her, no more than 10 feet away.  
Rey counted 5 of them but she was sure there were more.  
She raised her gun and aimed at the shape closest to Faith. She knew she couldn’t kill them, she only shot them to buy the girl some time. She fired and reloaded, the sound ripping Faith back to reality, her eyes blown wide with fear. 

“Faith get behind me.”

Rey said with as steady a voice she could manage. The girl nodded and quickly sprinted behind Rey.  
The shapes screeched at the sight of their prey and moved closer in their slow menacing way.  
Rey shot another shape, and another, fully conscious of the fact that she hadn’t packed any extra ammo.

The shapes were getting too close for comfort so rey turned and ran the way Faith had gone. She caught up with her fairly quickly and ran beside her for the next few meters.  
She could hear Faiths heavy breathing, she probably hadn’t trained her body for running away every day of the last 15 years.

“Come on girl, its not that far.” 

Rey said to her trying to urge her to go faster.  
Faith tripped on a root and fell with a high pitched squeal. 

“Shush."  
Rey scolded her immediately offering her a hand to get up. The little girl was wobbly on her feet but Rey ignored this and took off running again.

Another screech.  
Very close.

Too close.

Rey turned around just to see a shape pull back Faiths exposed neck and bite her.

“No!”

Rey yelled raising her gun and shooting the shape straight between the eyes.

Her gun made an all to familiar click, alerting her to the fact that there was only one bullet left.

She made the mistake of looking at Faiths face seeing the pain in her face that the virus was causing already.  
Rey looked Faith in the eye and saw the silent plea.  
Reality hit her hard and a tear escaped Reys eye as she raised her gun to shoot her last bullet.

“I’m so sorry.” She sobbed,  
and pulled the trigger.


	2. I'm so human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so human. We're just human.
> 
>  
> 
> Here we go again...

Rey turned around and sprinted as fast as she could, not caring where she was going.  
She could still hear the shapes moving behind her, screeching now and then.  
Tears ran down her cheeks.

It wasn’t fair.  
Faith had so much longer to live and she had to be the one to pull the trigger.  
A poor innocent girl just trying to survive.  
The unfairness of it all turned sadness into anger, fuelling her to run further and faster.

Night was falling and Rey didn’t have any bullets left.  
She was still dashing through the trees not glancing behind her.  
She was slowing down, running out of breath. Training only helped so much.  
But if Rey wasn’t running she was thinking and that was so much worse than the burn in her lungs.

There was a loud Bang.  
A bullet hit the tree right next to her.

Rey turned around to see four men hurtling after her dressed completely in black.  
Rey bolted away, knowing she wasn’t going to make it very far. She could make out Javin, a big rock that the resistance had used as a base, not 200 meters away from her which meant she was close to their current base.

Another shot rang out followed by a searing pain in her left thigh.  
Shit.

Rey gritted her teeth and tried to make it to the rock, hoping for cover but by the time she had made it there the four men had reached her.  
They cornered her, her back pushed up against the rock.

She pulled out her gun hoping to give them the illusion that she had power over them. Rey glanced down at her thigh, trying to assess the damage but it was a mess of mud and dark red blood on the side of her thigh, her cargo pants ripped where the bullet had scathed her flesh. 

She raised her gun but they could obviously see through her, since they moved closer still, not phased by the weapon in the slightest.  
One of the men stepped forward.

“Who are you.”

He asked not even bothering to ready himself for a fight by, say, pulling out his own gun or a knife.

“Who’s asking?”

Rey spat back at him never lowering her gun.  
The man stepped closer still.  
Rey tried to stand as tall as she could but every movement she made stung in her thigh.

“Don’t you dare take another step.”

She said gripping her gun tighter.  
The man stepped closer now in range for her to throw a punch.  
Rey knew she was going down, but not without a fight.

She spun her gun around in her hand so she was holding the barrel and quickly moved to a crouching position, from which she used the now exposed hilt of the gun to hit the man in the groin. The blow was perfectly placed as he cried out in agony and crumpled to the ground.  
Her next movements were slurred by the pain emanating from her thigh so she could do hardly anything to prevent the other three men from grabbing her and restraining her with cable ties.

One man held her back and the guy she had knocked down started to get up again.  
So much for fighting back.  
The guy who she presumed was their leader or superior rose from the ground, a pained expression still on his scarred face and snarled at her.

“Feisty little one aren’t you?”

He asked sarcastically and moved forward to grip one of her buns in his hand.  
His face now only inches away from hers.  
He lowered his voice to a threatening whisper

“I’m not going to ask this again.”

He withdrew a small knife from his jacket pocket and gripped her jaw so she couldn’t move her face any longer. He lifted the knife up to her forehead and slowly started pushing it through her skin, drawing blood almost instantly. Rey winced at the pain but kept the cold expression on her face. Determined not to show the pain or any other weakness for that matter.  
The leader spoke again.

“Who are you and who are you with? I hardly think anyone would let a pretty bird like you run around alone, especially as the first order is running low on women.”

The knife was now almost down to her right eyebrow. The pain growing worse every millimeter the man moved it. She really didn’t know how to get out of this one.

Just then Rey heard a familiar whistle that could almost be mistaken as a bird. 

She smirked.

“Who says I’m alone.”

The man that was holding her back shifted uneasily behind her.

“Calm down FB314. She’s bluffing.”

The leader said though he didn’t sound convinced either. The other two men that she could now Identify as Stormtroopers shared a look and both put their hands on their guns.

Rey's blood from her wound was now running into her right eye, blurring her vision partly.  
The man withdrew the knife from her forehead and put it back in his pocket but still gripped her jaw. 

Suddenly a new voice 

“You sure she’s bluffing buddy?”

There were two gunshots and the men behind the leader fell to the ground.  
Their superior let go of Rey’s jaw giving her enough time to headbutt the man behind her, spin around and punch him on the nose for good measure.  
The punch was followed by a satisfying crunch before he crumpled to the ground. Unconscious, Rey hoped.

Turning her back to the guy with the knife had been a mistake, seen as he grabbed her and pushed her infront of him, one arm around her neck, blocking the clean shot one could have made seconds ago.

“Well well.”  
He said looking at the man in front of them.

“Dameron, isn’t it?”

Poe shrugged, still pointing his gun at the man behind her but apparently sure that he couldn’t take a shot without risking Rey’s life. He would have done so otherwise.

“It’s nice to hear that I have a reputation.”

Cocky bastard.

The leader started putting pressure on her throat, slowly choking her.  
Poe was acting strange, he kept glancing down to the mans side or to her left hand.  
She didn’t quite understand, a normal person would be concerned about the glock-19 the leader was pointing straight at his face.  
Poe locked eyes with her, giving her a meaningful look and then glanced down at her hand again.

Suddenly it dawned on her.

She slowly moved her left hand to see how far she could get and was surprised to find that she was easily able to move her hand to the mans pocket.  
Years of pickpocketing made her very slight of hand, so the man in black didn’t notice her reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the small knife he had used moments earlier to carve a wound into her forehead.

Poe stepped closer, getting ready to attack the man as soon as Rey had distracted him.  
The leader choked her more strongly now and moved his gun from Poe's face to her head.

“One step closer and I’m gonna kill this pretty bird of yours. Shame really, Ren would have loved to fuck this one…”

Poe visibly clenched his jaw at this comment, Rey didn’t understand. Why he would care?  
She had the knife in her hand now, withdrawn from the pocket.  
She looked Poe in the eye giving him a warning and mouthed three, two, one before slashing the small knife across the mans arm, digging deep into his flesh.  
He screamed in pain and let go of her. 

Rey stumbled forward and turned to kick the man in the stomach which made the man bend over, before walking slightly to the side to kick him to the ground. Her hands were still bound behind her back so she just placed one of her combat boots on the mans back, trying to keep him down securely.  
She hoped they could use him as a source of information but Poe had other plans. 

A loud bang echoed through the now almost dark woods as Poe shot the man in the head.

Rey removed her boot and tried to walk forward but the pain from her thigh made her stop and almost topple over. 

“What the fuck Dameron?”

She asked watching him walk forward and remove the glock-19 from the mans grasp.

“I just went to all that trouble, so we could get him back alive!”

She yelled now feeling the emotions flowing back.

“And besides I could have handled myself back there, I’m not some damsel in need of saving.”

Poe moved to stand up, an annoyed expression on his face 

“Well you’re welcome.” 

He said sarcastically. Shoving the dead mans gun into her hand.  
Rey was furious. How dare he just take this away from her. The man could have presented them with some valued and much needed information.

Poe had now turned around and was walking in the direction of base.  
Rey’s fury momentarily overrode her pain as she walked behind Poe and raised her hand to punch him.

“You son of a bitch!” 

Rey yelled before moving forward to throw her punch.  
Poe caught her wrist mid swing which left her standing close enough to him to hear his heartbeat.  
He stared into her eyes. Mirroring her fury.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, maybe next time I’ll leave you out here to die. But wait, I don’t think the General would appreciate that, seen as you’re Rey. So get it together and appreciate the fact that I just saved your fucking life.” 

Poe let go of her wrist making her stumble backwards.  
He turned around again and started moving towards the base.  
The prick didn’t even bother looking at her when he spoke again.

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry about your leg...... Although I’m not really.  
If you can’t walk, grab a stick… We don’t want to be out after dark do we?”

Motherfucker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	3. Here we stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we stand or here we fall

It was pitch black by the time they reached the base.  
They had walked there in silence, Rey using a long branch as a makeshift crutch.  
The biggest part of their base was underground in an old abandoned military base but the most commonly used entrance was in a side of a hill covered by vines,  
just like in that old Disney movie Rey couldn’t remember the name of.  
Poe reached the entrance first pushing aside the vines to reveal the steel door.

“You’re gonna have to leave the stick out here.”

Poe said, his back still turned while he was pushing in the key code.

“And how am I supposed to get down the stairs without blacking out in the process?”

Rey asked, leaning on her stick strongly for emphasis. Poe turned to glance at her after he had pushed in the last digit. 

“Think of something.” 

He said pushing open the door, revealing the stairwell that led down into the base.  
Poe headed inside without giving her another glance and walked down the first flight of stairs before noticing she hadn’t followed.

“Come on Niima, don’t be a wuss.”

Rey cringed at the use of her second name. It reminded her too much of where she had come from and how she had got here to the resistance.  
Prats like Poe Dameron liked to emphasise the use of it just to annoy her.  
Rey choked out a bitter laugh.

“Yeah well, next time someone shoots you in the leg I want to see you walking down a staircase without any help.”

Rey used her makeshift crutch to move to the door and then discarded it leaning on the doorframe for support.  
They would have to go through the underground tunnel to get to the hospital wing and it suddenly seemed like a very long walk without a crutch. She moved to close the door but another wave of pain shot up her thigh. She hissed but tried to make it go unnoticed by Poe.  
She failed.  
He moved up the stairs and stood next to her pulling the door closed. It locked itself with an audible click.  
Poe glanced down at her thigh, assessing the damage before unexpectedly leaning down to pick her up.  
Bridal style.  
Rey wasn’t expecting anything of the sorts and tried to wriggle loose of his grasp.  
Poe only held her tighter.

“Cut it out Niima, or you can add a fall down the stairs to your list of injuries for the day.”

She huffed in frustration. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to walk without a crutch but the thought of Poe fucking Dameron carrying her through the whole Resistance base to get her to the hospital wing almost seemed too humiliating to bear.  
Poe started walking down the stairs and when Rey almost fell out of his arms twice she reluctantly put her arms around his neck.  
This was dangerous, showing signs of weakness like this could mean the difference for her promotion to captain which she had been awaiting for months now.

Poe had reached the bottom of the stairs and was now approaching the second and final door to the base. He typed in the keycode with the hand he was holding under Rey’s knees and pushed the door open with his back.  
Rey slowly noticed how tired she was and how much the day had taken out of her.  
She could only hear the steady thump of Poe’s heartbeat and the sound of his footsteps on the concrete floor.  
The last thing she could remember was thinking about why Poe smelled of the seaside before she fell asleep.

She was woken up only moments later by a sharp stinging in the wound on her thigh.

“What the hell did you get yourself into Rey?”

The familiar voice of Rose asked before she cleaned the wound once more.  
One glance around the room told her that she was in the hospital wing. A large grey room with 20 or so simple white beds.

“Oh you know, just a friendly run in with the first order, some shapes and…”

Rey’s thoughts trailed back to Faith and she felt herself being on the verge of tears for the second time that same day. Rey tried to sit up but something was holding her down by the shoulder. She glanced to her side and saw Poe standing beside her, one hand firmly placed on her shoulder.  
Rey opened her mouth to complain but was interrupted by a sharp pain in her thigh making her gasp and whimper pathetically. 

“Its just 4 stitches, Rey. You’ve had a lot worse.”

Rose said moving to add the next stitch. Rey tensed up in anticipation.

“I thought you liked it,”

Another stitch, making her hiss in pain.

“without warning.”

Rose added finishing her sentence and wiping her coal colored hair out of her face.

Rose stitched Rey’s thigh up completely and it took Rey a few moments after that to regain her composure. She glanced up at Poe who was still gripping her shoulder.

“You can let go of me now, you know.” 

She said, shrugging him off successfully.  
Poe glared at her.

“I was just trying to help.”

He said crossing his arms in front of his chest and taking a step back, almost bumping into Rose, who was treating a patient at the bed next to her. Rey sometimes wondered how Rose did it. She was stuck in the base all day long only seeing injured people. She kept a smile on her face every time she spoke to someone or was informed about bad news. Rose kept a clear head through most situations and that was way more than Rey could say about herself. That was more than most fighters in the Resistance could say about themselves.  
Rey knew that she and most others functioned on adrenalin. As soon as the adrenalin faded they were rendered useless.

Rey remembered where she was, Poe Dameron still standing a step away from her cot.

“Well, I didn’t ask for your help.” She snapped sitting up in the bed.

Poe sighed and headed for the door leaving without another word.  
Rose was done tending to the other patients and walked over to her side of the large grey room. Rey didn’t consider herself a social person but she had a few friends around base including Rose and her Boyfriend Finn. Finn and her had met while fleeing from their individual prisons and Rose had been the one to find them and take them to the Resistance. Rose had been Rey’s best friend ever since.  
She smiled at her sitting down next to her on the bed.

“Do you want to talk about what happened or is that classified information?”

Rey smirked at her subtle joke. Rose was never invited to any important Resistance meetings although she should be a very high ranking member in Rey’s opinion. Rose always pretended not to be bothered by anything but Rey knew that deep down she wanted her work to be valued. Before Rey had a chance to answer the door swung open and Finn entered the room.

“Peanut!”

He said overenthusiastically, as usual. He headed in the direction of her bed.  
Rey smiled at her other best friend and suddenly mock concern clouded his face.

“Oh my, she must be very sick. She’s even smiling.”

Rose and Rey both chuckled while Finn sat down next to Rose, kissing the top of her head while doing so.

“I see my talented girlfriend has fixed you up quite well.”

Rey nodded, happy to see that the love the couple shared still grew from day to day.  
Serious relationships on base were difficult. The chance that a person would be alive one day and dead or infected the next was quite high. It was a risk Rose and Finn were willing to take and they had obviously made the right decision since they had been dating for almost a year now.

“I wouldn’t usually need a reason to visit my best friend in hospital but actually Leia sent me to get you as soon as you’re ready for a debrief.”

Rey sighed, no peace for the wicked.

“Yeah sure tell her I’ll be down in ten. Rose could I have some bacta and crutches please?”

Rose nodded and left to get the supplies. Rey hoped bacta would heal the wound on her forehead and most importantly her leg in the next 24 hours. She couldn’t afford not being operational for longer than that. Finn also got up from the bed but squeezed her hand before leaving giving her an encouraging smile.

Rose returned a short time later with the two bacta patches and the crutches Rey had asked for. She applied the patches to Rey’s wounds before handing her the crutches and helping her up. Rey was thankful for the pain-relief in bacta as she was still wobbly on her legs. She was determined to get to debrief. She didn't need Poe Dameron or anyone else

Rey started walking towards the door when there were five loud beeps from the speakers in the corners, signalling that there were Five injured people coming in that Rose and her team would have to take care of.  
Rose was whisked off to join the other medics in preparation for the wounded and Rey started heading out, wanting to give them some space.

She just reached the door when she heard wheeled stretchers being pushed through the other entrance. 

Good luck.

She thought before heading out of the door without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are everything to me.  
> Please tell me what you think.


	4. I wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish, more than anything...

The walk to debrief through the halls of the Resistance base was agonizingly long. The walls were dark grey and only illuminated by a circular lamp hanging from the ceiling every 5 meters or so. Electricity was something the Resistance had worked hard for. In the first stages of the apocalypse 15 years ago the first places to be abandoned had been nuclear power-stations. Shapes were naturally drawn to them.   
Science wasn't Rey's strong point so she never understood why. 

When the Resistance formed and settled into their base at Hoth there had already been a Powergenerator. Rey had only spent two months in that base before they had to abandon it due to the first order that had openly attacked the base. They settled into their base at Yavin 4 only a few days after discovering it, a very risky move seen as there had been no power generator or a water source. The golden boy of the Resistance had (much to Rey’s disdain) collected the parts for the generator quicker than anyone else and was therefore promoted to captain. Rose and Finn repeatedly told her that Poe had done them a great favor in restoring the power but Rey could not shake the feeling that Dameron had stolen a few of her already scavenged parts to get his promotion.   
Rey hated the fact that he might have stolen her promotion away from her yet again after the events earlier that day. 

She didn’t pass anyone in the halls so she guessed it was supper-time which would mean most people were in the mess-hall. She moved slowly in her crutches and was relieved when she finally made it to command. She walked in and glanced around the room. Everyone essential to the resistance was gathered which probably meant this was going to be a very important meeting. People were scattered around the room, some already seated, others still chatting away. She crossed the room slowly and smiled when two of her favorite people approached her.

Cassian and Jyn were two rebels now both over the age of 50 but they really didn’t look it. They had been together since anyone could remember and sort of adopted Rey when she came to the Resistance at the age of 9. Jyn and Cass didn’t really belong to the Resistance. They seemed like a whole other unit. They worked with and for eachother and didn’t let anyone come between them. Rey often sensed there was a story behind them that no one had told her and she often wondered why they didn’t have any children of their own.

Cassian smiled broadly at her with Jyn on his arm. The smaller woman only hinted at a smile, never really showing emotion when she was around people that weren’t her closest friends.

“What happened to you?” Cass asked, still smiling.

Rey shrugged trying to make it seem like less of a big deal.

“I had a bad day.” She said not looking either of them in the eye. 

They would find out in a moment anyway.  
Cass chuckled obviously sensing her lie but instead of questioning it he just leaned forward to kiss the top of her head and murmured:

“Luchadora” 

Cassian often called Rey that but every time she would ask what it meant he would say that she would find out one day.  
He stepped back just in time for Leia to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen would you please take a seat?”

She spoke in a clipped voice that she used when she was stressed. Leia was spread too thin, leading the Resistance wasn't exactly an easy job. She said she did it for the greater good but Rey believed that Leia, like most people in the Resistance, was hiding something that had yet to be revealed.

Rey took her seat in between Jyn and Finn who had now entered the room.  
Quite a few people were sitting around the table. Leia was seated at the head of the long table, flanked by Amilyn Holdo and Kes Dameron the two people she trusted most. Next to Kes sat Chirrut and Baze, two biologists that were researching the virus and how to stop it. Baze often doubled in as a medic since he was less connected to his work in the lab as Chirrut.   
Chirrut was blind and occasionally needed help around base but was surprisingly independent. The two of them, similar to Cass and Jyn had been together forever.   
Only few relationships lasted on base but the four of them seemed to make it work.   
Next to the two and opposite Rey sat the golden boy. He winked when she looked over to him and she just rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms in front of her chest.   
This was going to be a long meeting. 

Ackbar and Connix joined them a few minutes later which was Leia’s cue to start the meeting  
She started speaking giving everyone around the table a meaningful look.

“Welcome everyone. This meeting will start with Rey’s debrief as I’ve heard she has some important information.” Leia glanced at Poe but he was just smirking at Rey. 

Brat.  
Poe knew that she hated doing debriefs infront of so many people. It made her nervous.  
Rey nodded none the less and started from the beginning of her mission that day, reporting that she had found no sign of Luke Skywalker.   
She went on, detailing her encounter with Faith and the fact that they were attacked by shapes shortly after they had met. When she came to the part of the young girl's death Jyn took her hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Rey was determined not to cry or show any other weakness so she pushed on without her voice even cracking. She told them about her encounter with the first order but did not outline the fact that Poe had killed a valuable source of information. Poe let out a relieved breath when she skipped that part. Rey came to her conclusion and also didn’t mention the fact that Dameron had to carry her to the hospital wing. Telling herself it was an unimportant detail.

The whole room was silent for about a minute after she had finished.   
As no one was speaking Rey decided to add a few afterthoughts.

“The first order goon mentioned something about them being short on women and personal in general. This shouldn’t usually be a concern for us but seen as I found Faith out there I can only suspect there are more children still roaming the wild. We need to find the kids, especially the girls, before the first order gets to them and destroys their life.” 

Murmurs of agreement went through the room and a few people nodded.

“Very well then. Thank you Rey your mission was…” Leia paused apparently looking for the right word “successful.” She finished. “We will create a plan of action on the matter of the children that are still out there. Admiral Holdo will see to that.” Leia glanced at Holdo and the woman nodded.

“Meanwhile there is another matter I would like to address.” Leia said pointing at the map she had laid out in front of her. It showed Colorado and the states around it. 

“We have been informed that there is a small first order base just over the border to Utah. There are said to be many prisoners there and we would also get some decent resources out of a raid.” 

Cassian shook his head and spoke up in his soft accent

“Isn’t it a bit too risky? Openly attacking the first order?”

A few people around the table nodded in agreement.

“You’re right Cassian," Leia started "but this needs to be done. We are running low on resources and freeing prisoners is exactly what we set out to do. This is our chance and we need to take it although it may be risky.”

Cassian sighed and leaned back in his chair glancing at Jyn. They seemed to have a whole conversation without speaking a word and in the end Cassian stood down.

“I suggest we send our best squadron on this mission. Poe? Could you please prep black squadron for this mission in say a week?”

Poe grinned foolishly like the reckless and carefree person he was.

“Sure thing General.”

Leia then turned to look at Rey. She paused for a second studying Rey's face.

“Rey I’d like you to join Black Squad on this mission.”

Time seemed to freeze for a moment but the reality of what Leia was saying sank in pretty quickly.

“What?” Rey and Poe snapped simultaneously.

Jyn chuckled apparently finding their dislike for each other amusing.  
Poe was now sitting up in his chair, alert and ready to do anything to keep Rey off his squad.

“I don’t think Rey will be necessary. My squad is fully capable of carrying out this mission and besides, Rey is currently injured.” 

Poe puffed out his chest, probably unknowingly and Rey rolled her eyes at him for the second time less than an hour.   
Leia completely ignored their objections and pushed on.

“The mission is simple really: get to the destination, free the prisoners, raid the base and try to capture as many first order members as possible. You will need to take…”

Rey interrupted Leia 

“Hold up a sec. Where do I come in. As much as it pains me to say, black squadron is perfectly capable of handling a mission like this which makes me unnecessary.”

Poe was smirking from where he sat opposite her. She could not stand Poe Damerons narcissistic personality but she would go on a mission with him for the sake of the Resistance.  
They wouldn't be alone anyway... Jess, Snap and the others would be there to keep them from murdering each other. Rey still didn't understand what her purpose was in the mission so she asked.

“However I do believe that there must be a reason for why your risking one of us killing the other... so pray tell us what it is.”

Poe wouldn’t let Leia speak.

“General I really don’t think an explanation needed. Rey can easily be replaced by someone more...” Poe paused considering his choice of words “compliant.”   
He finally said looking at the General with his big brown puppy eyes. 

Rey wasn’t going to have any of that. How dare he say she was unnecessary! Poe had crossed a line and Rey went from slightly agitated to straight up furious in a matter of seconds. She clenched her fists to keep herself from exploding. She leaned forward in her chair so she was closer to Dameron.

“Easily replaceable? I think you were speaking about yourself. I’m 100 percent sure that I could replace you and no one would even notice that it had happened.”

Rey snapped ignoring the fact that they were at a meeting and they probably shouldn't be having this conversation here. Poe glared at her with fire in his eyes.

“Well?" He asked his gaze never leaving hers. "Why haven't you?" He paused. "You clearly don’t have it in you Niima. You’re just way too soft.”

He finished plastering his trademark smirk on his face.  
Rey stood from her chair, making it move backwards with a loud screeching sound. Her thigh still hurt but her fury overrode the pain.

“How dare you!” she yelled and was about to make another retort when Leia stepped in.

“That’s enough!” she said sternly and with such a force that Rey sat down in her chair without further protest

Leia sighed, tired of their bickering.

“The reason why Rey is going on this mission is because the first order base is located in Jakku." She spoke in a voice far weaker and more exhausted than the one she had used only moments earlier. 

Leia paused letting the information settle in.

“The desert is a dangerous place so this mission needs someone with experience which Rey definitely has. This is a very important mission and I need you two to get it together. Can I trust that you won’t kill each other?” 

After another loathing gaze Rey and Poe both nodded stiffly.

“Good. Connix will brief Poe for the mission as he will be the leader.”

Leia looked at Rey silently reminding her that Poe outranked her and she should act her part.

“You will leave in 10 days time so get your strength up Rey.  
I think that is all for today. Dismissed.”

She was going on a two week long mission with Poe fucking Dameron.   
The room slowly cleared and after a few minutes Rey looked to her right where Finn was still sitting. They were the last two people in the room  
He smiled at her.

“Peanut," he started, taking one of her hands in his "This mission is important. Think of how many people you could save. Poe can be a jerk but deep down he’s a good guy.”

Rey shrugged and looked at Finn in disbelief. She didn’t have time for ‘deep down’.   
He'd been a jerk for the last 10 years but suddenly she couldn't just ignore him.  
She hoped she would survive the 6 day hike to Jakku. She hoped she wouldn’t end up killing Poe and leaving him to rot in the middle of the desert.  
Sadly for Poe, that scenario was highly likely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think...  
> Feedback is everything...


End file.
